Ecuador

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Overview | Culture | Sightseeing | History | Money & Transportation | Support | Map

Overview:

Ecuador has an array of vibrant indigenous cultures, well-preserved colonial architecture, otherworldly volcanic landscapes and dense rainforest. Ecuador is just smaller than Nevada, covering 109,483 square miles. The country is located on, and named after, the equator.

Ecuador has four major geographic regions: La Costa (coastal lowlands), which contains rich agricultural land; La Sierra (Andean highlands), with snowcapped mountains; El Oriente (eastern lowlands), beginning at the eastern foothills of the Andes and containing mostly tropical rain forest; and the Archipiélago de Colón (or Galápagos Islands), a group of islands in the Pacific about 600 miles off the coast. Charles Darwin developed his theories of evolution based on his observations of Galápagos wildlife. Ecuador is subject to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Ecuador has 31 active volcanoes; many of them are near Quito, which is surrounded by the Avenue of the Volcanoes. The two highest peaks are Chimborazo at 20,561 feet and Cotopaxi at 19,347 feet.

The climate varies with elevation more than with season, but the rainy season is generally from November to May. The driest months are June to September. The coastal lowlands are hot and humid, while the highlands include everything from subtropical valleys to frigid mountains. Quito's temperature averages 71°F year-round. The rain forest, which is part of the upper Amazon Basin, has a tropical climate. Temperatures in the Galápagos Islands average 76°F. Ecuador is located at the center of the El Niño weather pattern, which periodically causes destructive floods and mudslides and is often followed by the La Niña weather pattern, which causes drought.

Ecuador's population of nearly 13.4 million is growing at 2 percent annually. The majority (55 percent) is mestizo. Indigenous peoples, whose culture differs from that of mainstream society, comprise about 25 percent of the population. Another 10 percent is of Spanish descent, and 10 percent is black. Quito, the capital, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the Western Hemisphere and is home to 1.3 million people. The largest city is Guayaquil. Approximately 60 percent of all Ecuadorians live in urban areas.

Warning: Tungurahua volcano, overlooking the town of Baños, 75 miles south of Quito, has recently begun erupting again causing nearby villages to be evacuated. Travelers should monitor the news for any ongoing developments and heed any local advice regarding the mountain.

Culture:

Ecuador encompasses a great diversity of cultures. Overlaying ethnic differences are regional differences that tend to influence politics and internal relations. Serranos (people from highland areas, including Quito) are considered more formal, conservative, and reserved than Costeños (coastal inhabitants). Costeños are considered cosmopolitan, open, and liberal; they generally are the businesspeople of Ecuador. Serranos are associated with government and banks. The two groups, political rivals, distrust each other in many respects but are united in others.

A common trait of all Ecuadorians is the value they place on familial relationships and responsibilities. People are warm and hospitable. Human relationships generally take precedence over schedules or timetables.

More than 80 percent of Ecuadorians belong to the Catholic Church. Many national and local holidays/festivals center on the Catholic faith. Rituals such as baptism, first communion, and confirmation are celebrated in the community, as well as among family. Many other Christian churches are growing in popularity, and people generally are tolerant of other beliefs.

Dining

Food and eating habits play an important part in Ecuadorian culture. Each holiday is associated with a special kind of food and every town has a specialty dish. Mealtime is considered a good time for conversation—catching up, conducting business, or socializing. At family meals, the mother generally serves food to the father first, followed by male children and then female children (who help prepare and serve the meal). The mother will eat only after everyone else has been attended to. Guests usually are served first and receive the largest amount and choicest cuts of food. Taking leftovers home is acceptable; leaving food on the plate is not. It is customary to thank the person who prepared the meal before excusing oneself from the table. A host who invites a guest to a restaurant is expected to pay for the meal. Youth often split a bill.

The main meal is eaten at midday. Serranos favor corn and potatoes, while Costeños favor rice, beans, and bananas, of which there are several varieties. Fresh fruits abound. Chicken, meat, and fish (on the coast) are dietary staples. Soup is almost always served at both the midday and evening meals. Hot bread is a popular afternoon snack. Some favorite dishes include arroz con pollo (fried chicken with rice), locro (soup with potatoes, cheese, meat, and avocados), llapingachos (cheese and potato cakes), ceviche (raw or cooked seafood marinated in lime and served with onions, tomatoes, and spices), fritada (fried pork), empanadas (pastries filled with meat or cheese), arroz con menestra (rice with spicy beans, barbecued beef, and refried plantains), caldo de bola (plantain-based soup with meat and vegetables), and cuy (roast guinea pig).

Family

Families generally are close-knit. The elderly are respected and treated well, and several generations may live under the same roof. While most families follow traditional roles, urban families are changing as more women work outside the home and more men share household duties. Still, mothers remain the emotional center of their families and are honored for their primary role of raising children. Many songs are devoted to mothers, and cities typically have a park or monument dedicated to motherhood. Children used to live with their parents until they married. Now they commonly leave to get an education or to work. Urban families average two children, while rural families average three or four.

Greetings and Gestures

People usually shake hands when first introduced. A handshake is then used in subsequent greetings, along with the exchange of good wishes. In rural areas particularly, one offers the wrist or arm rather than the hand when one's hands are soiled. Close friends greet with what seems like a kiss on the cheek—they actually touch cheeks while kissing the air. Men may embrace if well acquainted.

Ecuadorians often use gestures to emphasize or replace verbal communication. During conversation, a person might touch another person of the same sex to show friendly concern. Drawing a circle or two in the air with the index finger means "I'll be back." To indicate "Sorry, the bus is full" or "Sorry, we're out of tomatoes" or anything along that line, a person sticks out the hand, as if to shake hands, and twists it almost as if waving. Yawning in public, whistling or yelling to get someone's attention, and pointing with the index finger are considered impolite. Ecuadorians might point by puckering or pursing the lips. One can also indicate "up the road" by lifting the chin, and "down the road" by lowering the chin.

Sightseeing:

Galápagos Islands

The Galápagos archipelago is renowned for its unique and fearless wildlife and as a mecca for evolutionists. You can swim with sea lions, float eye-to-eye with penguins and stand beside a blue-footed booby as it feeds its young. The barren and volcanic landscape is peerless in its haunting beauty. The archipelago spreads out over 19,500 square miles of the Pacific Ocean some 620 miles west of Ecuador and is comprised of 13 main islands and six smaller ones.

Isla Bartolomé

Isla Bartolomé is part of the Galápagos Islands, a remote archipelago that provides the wildlife experience of a lifetime. Bartolomé has a volcanic cone that's easy to climb and gives great views of the other islands. It also has resident penguins (you can snorkel with them!), sea lions, red Sally Lightfoot crabs, pelicans, mockingbirds and Galápagos doves.

Parque Nacional Cotopaxi

The centerpiece of Ecuador's most popular national park is the snowcapped and downright picture-perfect Volcán Cotopaxi, Ecuador's second-highest peak. Within the 33,393 hectares of national park that surround the volcano, you'll find outstanding hiking and trekking opportunities. There are a handful of fabulous old haciendas offering everything from horseback riding to guided climbs of Cotopaxi itself. The park offers a good look at the páramo (Andean grasslands) and the views everywhere are sublime.

The wildlife is fascinating with birdlife that includes the rarely seen Andean condor and furry critters such as white-tailed deer, rabbits, the red brocket deer, the wily colpeo (Andean fox) and pumas. The rare Andean spectacled bear lives on the remote and infrequently visited eastern slopes of the park.

Quito

Arguably the most beautiful city in South America, the capital of Ecuador looms 9,350 feet above sea level and just 14 miles south of the equator. It boasts a wonderful spring-like climate in a spectacular setting; vistas in Quito are dominated by mountains, with several snowcapped volcanoes.

Apart from some great museums and churches, pay a visit to El Panecillo (the little bread loaf), a hill with fabulous views of the old town and an enormous statue of the Virgin of Quito. Avenida Amazonas is Quito's bustling modern showpiece street, a good place to find a cafe and watch life go by.

History:

Various groups of indigenous peoples, whose ancestors first inhabited Ecuador, were conquered in the latter 1400s by Incas from the south. The Incan Empire ruled the area until, during an internal power struggle, the Spanish conquered it in 1534. The Spanish took ownership of vast tracts of land and large numbers of local people. In the early 1800s, Antonio José de Sucre, a compatriot of Simón Bolívar, led a successful military campaign against the Spaniards. Ecuador (along with present-day Colombia, Panama, and Venezuela) gained its independence in 1822 and became part of Gran Colombia, a federation led by Bolívar that was dissolved a few years later. Ecuador declared itself a republic in 1830.

In 1941, Peru and Ecuador battled over ownership of an area in the southern Amazon region then controlled by Ecuador. A 1942 treaty granted Peru most of the territory, but because the treaty referenced obscure landmarks and denied Ecuador access to vital mineral wealth and the Amazon River system, the country later rejected it. The two neighbors continued exchanging hostilities from time to time. A January 1995 clash lasted for several days before international observers helped negotiate a settlement. A final agreement was signed in October 1998 granting Ecuador a small portion of land as well as navigation rights on some rivers in Peru.

Between 1830 and 1948, Ecuador had 62 presidents, dictators, and military juntas. In 1948, Galo Plaza Lasso became the first freely elected president to serve a full term. Civilian governments alternated with military rule until 1979, when a new constitution allowed for a freely elected president.

The 1996 elections marked Ecuador's fifth consecutive peaceful transition of power. Abdalá Bucaram, nicknamed El Loco (the Madman) for his flamboyant personality, won the presidency, promising to help Ecuador's poor. However, Bucaram's austerity measures prompted widespread strikes and protests. Congress responded by voting to remove Bucaram for "mental incapacity" and charging him with corruption. Bucaram stepped down when the military withdrew its support, and Congress voted its leader, Fabián Alarcón, interim president. Centrist candidate Jamil Mahuad, the mayor of Quito, won in the 1998 presidential elections.

Strikes and protests against poverty and proposed price hikes led Mahuad's government to declare a state of emergency. In January 2000, massive demonstrations against the government by indigenous peoples led to a coup. The military ousted Mahuad. Ecuador faces the difficult task of stabilizing its economy and maintaining order in the face of widespread discontent.

Money & Transportation:

Ecuador's economy is slowly pulling itself out of its worst economic crisis in decades. The economy was devastated by the effects of El Niño weather patterns, low world oil and banana prices, and the country's banking crisis, budget deficit, and huge foreign debt. Roughly one-third of the population is employed in agriculture, producing fruits, coffee, sugarcane, corn, potatoes, rice, and other foods. Ecuador is the world's biggest banana exporter. It's official currency is the US dollar.

Ecuador has a more efficient air transportation system than most other Andean countries. It also has the virtue of being a small country, and relatively cheap, which allows even budget travelers the option of an occasional internal flight. Quito's international airport is about 6 miles north of the city. The nation's other major airport is in Guayaquil, about 3 miles north of the city centre. Both are regularly serviced by buses and taxis. The main domestic airlines are TAME and Icaro, though there are other small airlines and charter planes available. Almost all flights begin or end in Quito or Guayaquil. There are flights to two of the Galápagos Islands from the mainland, but these are expensive. However, it's no longer possible to take a boat to Galápagos.

Most travelers get around by bus. Busetas (22-seat small buses) cover long distances quickly; larger autobuses are slower but tend to be more social and fun. Keep your passport with you when traveling by bus, as there are frequent (usually cursory) transit police checks on the highway.

Warning:

There is a high risk to the security of those traveling in the northern areas of Ecuador that border with Colombia because of kidnappings and increased crime. Landmines are present in the Cordillera del Condór region, bordering Peru. Travel to these areas should be avoided. Also, avoid taking night buses through Guayas Province, which has had several night time bus robberies. Camionetas (pick-ups), rancheras (trucks) and taxis can be hired for long journeys - negotiate a price before you ride.

Support During Your Placement:

We will be available to give you any support, advice, or guidance you may need with any issues. There will always be an emergency number for you to contact. Our aim is to ensure that you have a happy and successful experience during your stay in Ecuador.